Tagged With networks

Last week's DDoS attack on Dyn that shut down portions of the internet was fuelled by bots created from hacked connected devices, like internet-connected cameras and DVRs, but can also theoretically include connected routers and printers. While there isn't exactly a fix for this problem, IoT Scanner is a tool that can at least tell you if a device in your house is creating a vulnerability.

If you use Google's Photos app, Microsoft's Cortana, or Skype's translation function, you're using a form of artificial intelligence (AI) on a daily basis. AI was first dreamed up in the 1950s, but has only recently become a practical reality — all thanks to software systems called neural networks. This is how they work.

Back in 2015, the US FCC introduced new guidelines that looked like a threat to anyone wanting to hack and install open firmware on their routers. They backed off, but a lot of manufacturers are still locking their devices down, just in case. Linksys, the company announced last week, isn't one of them.

The only thing we can be certain of is networks will only become more complex. One of the big challenges is more and more data is being created, stored, analysed and used on the edges of the network. And tat means lots of separate systems. Cisco expects the Intercloud to do for the cloud what the Internet did for networks.

Basic information about your web browser is an important part of troubleshooting computer problems. Yourbrowser.is automatically gathers all the essential information about your browser in an easy-to-ready format.

Routers often come with easy-to-guess passwords out of the box, which is why you always need to change the default settings. For the wireless network name, many people choose something easy to remember, like your name or your address. If you use that personal information for the network name, you might make a hacker's job easier.

There are many examples of individuals with different disabilities who excel and accomplish much in their lifetime, rendering physical or mental attributes meaningless — consider Stephen Hawking, Stevie Wonder and Helen Keller, among many others. But certain tasks and careers are more or less suited to some disabilities than others. Thankfully Ray Charles could sing and compose without his sight, but if his natural talent had been as a sportsman then the world may have not seen him rise to fame. Today's technology offers many new possibilities, not least the opportunity to work in the information technology field itself.

Curious about where the nearest mobile tower is? The Radio Frequency National Site Archive (RFSNA) lets you search by address to find current mobile base station sites in Australia, as well as locations where new towers are proposed and details of any community consultations.

They are out there… or should that be "they are in and around your network?" Yes, at any moment in time, they may infest your network, putting your data at risk; ticking time-bombs waiting to explode, configurations ripe for exploit. And don't forget those decisions made in the heat of the moment that, had rational thought prevailed, would never have been permitted.

In his independent audit of the public policy process behind the national broadband network, former Telstra director Bill Scales suggests there was never an internal debate about different technology options for the NBN.

You might not be able to get the NBN at home as soon as you want, but the history of networks is a history of faster speeds — even on copper lines. This infographic highlights some of the main milestones.

Network equipment is not like smartphones: we tend to leave it in place until it stops working. However, new data on utilisation suggests we might be taking this tendency too far: more than half the networking gear currently used is outdated.

Software defined networking (SDN) has been floating around for the last few years but it has mainly been in the eye-line of carriers looking to rapidly provision networks. With everything else in the enterprise becoming virtualised, it seems that the network is going to follow.

Mobile broadband is hugely convenient, and wireless solutions are often proposed as an alternative to expensive rollouts of fibre-based networks such as the National Broadband Network (NBN). But that doesn't mean it dominates: a new analysis suggests 97 per cent of all data traffic worldwide still comes from fixed access networks.